Tegan and Sara launch LGBTQ foundation for women and girls
Canadian sister pop duo forms foundation aimed at advancing LGBT equality and women's rights
Tegan and Sara Quin, the sisters behind the Canadian pop duo of the same name, have announced they are forming an new foundation that will be dedicated to championing the causes of LGBTQ women and girls.
“Since the beginning of our career, our LGBTQ fans have supported us in innumerable ways,” the duo write in an open letter on the Tegan and Sara Foundation website. “Our journey navigating sexism and homophobia in the music industry has always been interwoven with the stories you share with us. Your personal histories of injustice and discrimination at home, school, work, and church have inspired us to use our public status to speak out about the struggles of the LGBTQ community.”
According to its website, the foundation is intended to fight for economic justice, health and greater representation of LGBTQ women. But the sisters also note that they expect to “fight against the repressive legislation of the incoming Trump administration,” a nod to the members of the president-elect’s cabinet, many of whom have poor records on LGBT rights.
The 36-year-old identical twins say they were inspired to create the organization after speaking with LGBTQ people across North America as part of their fall tour touting their new album, “Love You to Death.”
“We learned a great deal from you all, including much more about the needs of LGBTQ people in North America,” the sisters’ letter reads. “We learned that the lack of federal funding for LGBTQ services, limited training for doctors about the needs of their LGBTQ patients, and severe workplace discrimination are disproportionately affecting women. Most importantly, we learned that LGBTQ women and girls are feeling overwhelmingly rejected and left behind.
“LGBTQ women are experiencing disproportionately high levels of poverty, health issues and inequality. LGBTQ women of color, especially transgender women often experience these issues even more severely due to racism and transphobia. Today, given the state of politics in the United States, we must continue to unite and fight for our rights and against all forms of oppression. “
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